One More Sleep!!

Okay, so who am I kidding? Do you actually think I am going to sleep tonight? I think not! I am so excited I can hardly stand it!

I managed to get most of my stuff packed, but my art box looks like it exploded all over the livingroom. I have got to get that organized and packed up. My pals come to pick me up at 9 a.m. and then we are off on our adventure!

I am excited about taking Tintastics, the Whole 9 Yards with Linda and Opie O'Brien on Thursday. I hope to learn alot and I am really looking forward to spending some quality time with my friends and making some wonderful memories.

I will give a recap when I get home! Catch ya on the flip side!

Thank You Seesters!!

My mailbox was overflowing today, quite literally with mail related to a secret project I am doing. In amongst that mail was an envelope from California. It was this really great t-shirt from Linda Woods and Karen Dinino. They, like yours truely are March babies and they very generously sent me one of their special shirts they had made up for their book tour for Visual Chronicles. I went running into my room, ripped off the shirt I had one and tried it on right away. It fits perfectly and I have tucked it into my suitcase for Artfest. Perfect timing!!



Of course when my husband got home, I told him he had to come see what I got. I showed him the shirt and he says "As long as people don't think your name is Art." Men! I can just imagine how Deb is going to howl when she reads this. (See Deb? It's a guy thing!)

Anyway, getting back to Linda and Karen, they are such fun and I enjoy reading their blog. Linda often shares her eyecandy-she does these amazing Buddha pieces that I drool over and they both write about the every day stuff in a way that often has me giggling as I read. I liked their book so much I made my local library buy it. I know a good thing when I see it and I have made it my mission in life to make sure my branch has a decent and inspiring mixed media section. Hey-it's MY tax dollars so why not? Most people don't realize they have a say!

Thank you Linda & Karen for the wonderful addition to my wardrobe. I will wear it with pride!! xo

Be Still My Beating Heart!

Okay so this might not be exciting to anyone else, but I just discovered that on Amazon, you can buy packages made up of retro candy from different decades!! This is the 1970's assortment and just looking back at it brings back memories!

My dear friend Farrell and I would stop in at this little corner store near our elementary school, Sam's and buy things like candy cigarettes, Pixie Stix, Tart and Tiny's, Pop Rocks, Fizz that came in a strip (still love those) and all the different flavours of licorice. I also bought these little garbage pails that had hard sour candy in the shape of things that would be in the garbage in them-old boots, fish bones, tin cans, etc. There was also a treasure chest version.

My favourite chocolate bars at that time were Cuban Lunch, Trasures (which was like an assortment box of chocolates made into a bar-each piece had a different filling) and Cherry Blossoms. (I can still hear the commercial for that one-"Cherryyyyy, Cherry Blossom, with the chocolate on the outside and the cherryyyyyy on the inside. MMM, MMM, MMM!!")

It's amazing to me how something like candy can trigger memories of childhood. The funny thing is, while I loved candy as a kid, I rarely eat it now-I'm not a sweet tooth. But having now discovered this, I am sorely tempted to order this box of chilhood bliss, call Farrell up and spend and afternoon reliving our memories and slipping into a sugar coma....Hmm..now where's my wallet?!?

Down to the Wire!

Well the countdown has been whittled down to 3 more sleeps! I am so excited I can hardly stand it. Of course I have gone into serious packing mode! The real trick is to circumvent my natural instinct to pack the whole darn house. I am going to Pt. Townsend, not the moon and they *do* have stores in Washington State!! I imagine that anything I might happen to forget could be begged, borrowed or stolen from a friend anyway-artists are a generous lot and I know I have lent things to lots of people before. It's no biggie!

I went to the mall early this morning to exchange a duplicate copy of James Blunt's cd that I got for my b-day. I brought home the newest Jann Arden instead, which I have already ripped to my computer so I can load it onto my Lyra and listen to it while I work at Artfest. So far I am liking it!

I am also wrapping up the secret project. I am rather pleased with how it has turned out and thanks to everyone who participated. I will let you know how it goes!! (SHHH!! It's still a secret!!)

Better get back to packing! I have lots to do!

It's Here!!

YAY!! Portals Zine has finally arrived on my doorstep! Joleen and Heather did a wonderful job with the premier issue! I spent about an hour pouring over the articles and checking out the cool collage sheet they included. The numbers of each edition are limited so if you have been thinking about ordering, you might want to get to it!

Thanks ladies for asking me to be the Featured Artist. The article looks great!

New Link (PSA)

Hi Everyone! I just want to thank everyone who sent me pressies, cards, emails, ecards and called (Caren all the way from NZ!!) and came to my surprise party to wish me happy birthday! I am most grateful for your friendship, love and kindness. It made for a very happy birthday indeed!

I am busy going through my class supply lists so I can pack what I need for Artfest, which is now 6 days away! I can't wait! Now if only I could find my darn rubber mallet! How can I lose something like that?!?! It's around here somewhere but if I can't find it soon, I will be making a trip to the hardware store to get another-it's just not worth the hassel!

I just wanted to give you the heads up about a link section I added to my blog sidebar. You will now see a heading that says "Are you in crisis?" I have served on a crisis line for the last 8 years and it occured to me today that I should have a link to crisis information on my blog. If you are wondering what a crisis line does, here's what I can tell you:

-It gives you the chance to have someone listen to you without feeling judged. The person you speak to has no vested interest and therefore can act as a sounding board and help you sort out how what is happening is affecting you. Sometimes it can be really helpful to have someone validate your feelings, especially when you feel like you are not being heard. Your call is considered annonymous and confidential.
- A crisis line worker has access to a variety of resources and can help connect you to more in-depth help if that is what you are looking for. You can take the numbers for these resources and then decide for yourself if and when you would like to look into them. There is no pressure to contact any other agencies if that's not what you want.
-A crisis line worker can speak openly and honestly about suicide. It a chance to speak with someone who is comfortable talking about it. You don't need to be feeling suicidal to call-you could be someone who has been affected by someone else who is suicidal or you could be someone who has lost someone to suicide.

There are many other reasons why someone would call a crisis line:
abuse
addiction
mental health issues
financial/ poverty issues
health issues
looking for information/resources
grieving
lonliness
relationship issues
parenting issues

A crisis line worker cannot "fix" your problems. They cannot offer advice. What they can do is work with you to explore what your options are and offer you the appropriate resources and information. I like to think of it in terms of "emotional first aid". Crisis line workers are commited to making a difference in their communities because they care. They have undergone special training and in most cases that training is constantly enhanced and updated.

So, if you or someone you know needs help, please feel free to share the links I have provided. There is one for the Canada and one for the US. I hope none of you ever needs to call, but if you do, I hope you will have the courage to reach out.

*If you are thinking of joining a crisis line and want to know more, feel free to email me if you have questions. I would be happy to talk to you about my experiences-it's incredibly rewarding.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!

Would the following people please email me ASAP:

Donna Cartagena
Jaunita Lloyd
Daphne Brandley
Chris Cunningham
Kelly Angard

I need to touch base with you!! Thank you!!

Mail Love!!

The postal lady brought more birthday goodies! There was the wonderful birthday collage from Liz Smith which I love! See how she put my birthdate on it? And buttons! Love the buttons!! The colours in this piece are so pretty!

I also received an Indigo Girls CD from my friend Nikki which was on my wishlist. I can't wait to pop it in and have a listen. They are one of my most favourite groups-I love their lyrics and the harmonies and Nikki loves them as much as I do! I will think of her when I listen to it.





This birthday ATC came from my art angel, Karenann. She is always gifting me with unexpected goodies in the mail. I just love her art and she is just the most gentle heart. God, look at those layers!! Amazing and inspiring.

Celine totally surprised me with another goodie off my wishlist-a book called Fabric Art Journals! It has some wonderful ideas in it and I can't wait to have some spare time to really sit down and read through it.

My mother and father in-law sent me the loviliest birthday card which said "You are loved with a special love. You are a treasure to this family." That was just the nicest sentiment! My in-laws are great people and very good to me. I am lucky.

I have to say at this point, I am feeling quite overwhelmed, spoiled and blessed and I just want to say THANK YOU to everyone who has sent their well wishes, gifts of spirit and of goodies, who have called and emailed. I wish everyone had friends as dear and thoughtful as mine. The world would most certainly be a better place.

Inspiration

There are a couple of things rocking my art world right now. One is the brand new album from James Blunt. It's absolutely brilliant and just the sort of thing I like to have playing while I create. My son gave it to me for my birthday. I am sure I will wear it out in no time and I have already ripped it so I can take it with me on my Lyra to Artfest. I just need to get a new set of earphones.




I went and spent my gift certificates at the scrapbooking store yesterday. These are the other thing I am loving right now art-wise. Each is a single rubber stamp that has a dozen different stamps in one. I bought these two with my windfall. I thought they would be really great to use in my journals and they were fairly reasonable. My friend Deb also sent me a set of alpha stamps that are teeny and snap together so you can create your own words. I love that all this stuff is so compact so I can just toss it in my bag and take it with me to journal with!


I also wanted to share with you this picture I took of The Lions (the two peaks in North Vancouver, a landmark of the city) yesterday. They were just so beautiful I had to capture them. I won't tell you that I was zooming down the freeway when I shot this. Oh no-I would never do a thing like that now would I? Okay so it was a bit nuts but I was just so inspired by their beauty I couldn't resist. I love my mountains and the ocean. I live in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Truely.

Happy Spring everyone!!

Surprise!!

So yesterday morning, my husband informs me that 1. I don't need to worry about dinner and 2. we are going somewhere around 3 p.m. That's all he would tell me.

At about 3 p.m. we head out the door and he drives me over to my friend Janice's house. We walk in and there waiting for us are a pile of my good friends. Yeah, I was surprised!! We had food and cake (A HUGE black forest cake!) and it was fun having people from different parts of my life meet each other. A couple of people couldn't make it, which was unfortunate, but I understand. It was an interesting mix of old and new friends.

I opened pressies which was fun! Farrell gave me a beautiful orchid plant, which I am finally able to include-Blogger had some issues yesterday! Isn't it gorgeous?!?!

Mo made me a coptic bound book in a box which is fantastic. Janice also made me a coptic bound book with a modeling past cover and this cool oragami fold card inside. Both are blank so I can add my own art to them. They are wonderful!!

Karen, her husband Jodi and the girls gave me $35 in gift certificates for the scrapbook store near my home where I go to feed my paper addiction. (I don't scrapbook, but I buy odds and ends there for my art-inks, papers, etc.)

My son and husband gave me a Weller 100 soldering iron with 3/8 inch tip. WOOHOO!! This is the one I have wanted since I took Sally Jean's class in August! Nothing says love like tools! Later I said to my husband "Did you ever dream you would marry a woman who would ASK for tools for special occasions?" He just laughed. I can only imagine the conversation he had at Kona Glass over that one! "Uh yeah it's my wife's birthday and I want to get her a soldering iron." I bet the sales guy thought I would be bouncing a brick off his head when I opened it. When I got home, they also gave me the James Blunt CD "Back to Bedlam" that I wanted.

Kelly and Alyx said to watch my mailbox for some more birthday goodness-they ordered me something from somewhere! And I got lots of hugs, which is always a good thing!!

Then this morning, my husband went outside to do something and came back in with a present in his hands. Apparently elves and faeiries dropped it off late last night or this morning. I opened it and it was the boxed set dvds of Joan of Arcadia from my dear friend Lisa and her husband Lance! That was so sweet of them both. I have been wanting that dvd set since Xmas! I was *SO* disappointed when they cancelled the show-it was one of the best ones I have ever watched and it was just getting to a very meaty story line when it ended. At least now I can watch it to my heart's content! (And you know I will!)

The funny part of all this is that my birthday isn't actually till Wednesday and yet somehow every year it manages to stretch for about 2 weeks! So this morning I am feeling very spoiled and much loved and entirely grateful to have such wonderful and generous friends. I maintain that I have the best friends in the world, truely. Not just because they have showered me with presents, but because each of them are exceptional human beings in their own right and they bless my life just by being in it. And thank you to my sweet husband and kiddo for my party and to Janice and her husband Ron for graciously hosting it.

And now, off into the sunshine of this beautiful Sunday. I am heading to Vancouver for the monthly ATC swap!!

Box of Blessings

Last night when I got home from dinner, I found a big box waiting for me at my front door. It was a birthday parcel from my pal Deb. Anyone who knows me well knows I am not good at waiting to open presents, so I got online and Deb and I got on our headsets in Yahoo Messenger so she could listen in while I opened the parcel.

Inside the box were a pile of goodies, one of which was this pendant, made by Shane Miller. Unfortunately, this is the best picture I could take of the pendant, but let me tell you, it is gorgeous! I especially love it because the symbolism of it speaks to me.

The vintage lady is perfect because I work with vintage images all the time. The bird in the nest reminds me of spring and my birthday, which is the day after spring (the 22nd) and the word "waiting" is ironic-I am the worst at waiting for things. I wait all year round for my birthday (I love my birthday!) and then once gift start arriving, I have to open them as they come-I can't hold out for the proper day! (Hey! Life is short-why wait?!?!)

Deb said she bought this at an art show she went to in Montana. (How I adore Montana-one of my favourite places to holiday!) I have emailed Shane Miller to tell her what a wonderful piece this is and how much it means to me to own it. If she has a website, I will share it with you once I have the details!
Another goodie in the box was this vintage card game. I have never heard of it, but it's based on a book and it features cards representing police forces from four Canadian cities. It's from around the 1920's and in remarkable shape. To my delight, one of the cities featured in the game is Winnipeg, my beloved hometown!! I think Deb said she found it when she went home to North Carolina to visit.



There were a ton of other cool things-hand dyed fabric and silk ribbon, rubber stamps, milagros, a nicho, vintage photographs, tea and so on. Then in the very bottom, carefully wrapped was another box, When I opened it, there was this wonderful Kewpie doll in mint condition in the original box. Deb knows I love Kewpie dolls and tracked this one down for me. Of course I had to put her arms up in the air cause all my Kewpies stand like this, ready for a hug or to say "I don't know!" They just make me smile.

Needless to say, Deb has spoiled me absolutely ROTTEN!!! Tracy Roos once mentioned to me that she read a book that talked about a number of ways people show love and some people's "love language" is to remember the things you adore and find ways to give them to you. I am like this. Deb is definately like this. One of the biggest blessings of my life is knowing Kindred Spirits like Deb. Thank you Deb for being the sweet friend you are and for loving me. Love you right back! xo

Artfest!

I am just finishing up organizing my trades for Artfest. I have a fair amount to swap with anyone who asks, but if there is anyone who really wanted to trade with me, you might want to drop me an email or at least comment here. I have a feeling stuff is going to just be flying back and forth. I have some friends I agreed to trade with in advance as well as my housemates so I have set aside trades for them and I could do the same if you ask me to.

I am just asking because I would feel bad if someone wanted to trade with me and I ran out. So..speak now or takes yer chances!

Word To the Wise!

Just a quick post tell share something with all of you. I am working on a top secret project (shh!) and art is coming in via the mail for it. Today I received an envelope and the minute I had it in my hand, my heart sank. It was soaking wet. Somewhere along the line, between Ohio and British Columbia, it was exposed to water. My guess is some mail carrier dropped it in a puddle.

The whole time I was opening it, I was praying hard. I was praying that the person who mailed it took me seriously when I asked that all art be put in a Ziploc bag. Today fate was on my side because as luck would have it, it was indeed sealed up, safe and sound. WHEW!! Thank god! I was dreading the thought of having to email my friend to tell her her work had been ruined. It would have broken my heart and hers too because that art she made was very special.

So folks, my point is this: ZIPLOCS ARE YOUR FRIEND! Buy yourself a couple of boxes in various sizes and always put your artwork, collage ephemera goodies, etc. in one when you mail. You just might be glad you did!

Plugging Away!

WHEW! What a busy last couple of days. I have been working hard on updating my website and I am almost done. Just need to do a few minor tweaks. Other than that gang, all pages have been completed! If you have bookmarked my website, please hit "refresh" to get the latest version.

So what's new at Tattered Edge?
Visit any of the Galleries to see new artwork that has been added.
Click "Photos" to view new pictures I have taken.
Click "Friends" and see new pieces of art my friends have given me.
Click "All About" to read my bio.
Click "Reading" to see which new books I have added to my library.
Click "Workshops" to see a list of classes I teach and to join my Yahoo Group and "Links" to see some great sites to visit!

In other news, Portals Zine (the premier issue) in which I am the featured artist comes out today!! I am so excited and I should have my copy by the end of the week!! I can't wait to see it. If you haven't already ordered your copy, do it today so you don't miss out!!

Only 15 more days till Artfest and only 8 days till my birthday!! WOOHOO!! (Can you tell I am excited?!? March is just chock full of good things!)

Okay, off to create! Happy Arting!

And There Was Great Rejoicing Throughout the Land...

For the last couple of months, my website has been an utter disaster. It's a long story, but it had to do with someone stealing my bandwidth and then in the process of trying to redress that, my files got snarled up, kind of like what happens if you don't put Xmas lights away properly. Needless to say, it was a horrific mess, one that I could not sort out all by myself.

Enter the beautiful and talented Kelly, one of my dear friends. Kelly got up extra early this morning (yes, on a Sunday) so I could pick her up and spirit her over to my house to work on the problem. A couple hours and pineapple cheesecake and tea for brekki and it was all sorted out. Can you imagine how happy and relieved I am? You have no idea!! *happy dance*

So, that said, I would like to suggest that if you have bookmarked my website, please refresh the pages so you get the newest version. I will be working this week to update the galleries sections, now that everything's running smoothly. I will let you know when I have updated!

Thank you Kelly! You are a lifesaver! xo

Tagged by Deb!

What were you doing 1 year ago?
- I had just begun teaching mixed media art.

Five snacks you enjoy (in no particular order, as all snacks are created equal):
-movie popcorn
-mandarins oranges
-cheese
-fresh buns
-fresh grapefruit

Five songs to which you KNOW all the lyrics:
-I have a very high retention for music. I am the human juke box. I even remember songs I learned for Xmas pagents in grade school!

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
-buy 50 acres in the mountains, plant a post & beam house in the middle of it and get several dogs.
-travel to Mt. Everest, Tibet and Antarctica
-build myself a huge art studio that had accommodation so I could host retreats.
-have Cotton Ginny send me their entire line of clothes each season.
-donate a good chunk of it annually to the local hospice and the crisis line.

Five bad habits:
-leaving an inch of liquid in any glass I drink out of. (This is something my dh has noticed.)
-stuffing my feelings when I am hurt, angry or sad.
-Talking too loudly sometimes (but hey! I have a hearing impairment!)
That's all I can think of for now!

Five things you like doing:
-reading
-singing in the car
-beachcombing
-going out for dinner
-going to the movies

Five things you would never wear, buy, or get again:
-high heels
-nylons
-plastic shoes
-a tetanus shot
-red licorice

Five favorite toys:
- computer
- digi cam
-rubicoil machine
-my car
-round cast iron skillet

First time you got kissed: How was it?
-I haven't a clue-it wasn't memorable! (I think I was 11.)

First time you drove a car: What kind of car?
-I was 21 and it was my girlfriend's Honda.

First time you went on a date:
I was 15, he was 19 and we went to Expo '86.

First time you scrapbooked (if you ever have):
Years ago but I found it too cookie cutter for me.

First time you fell in love: How did you know?
I was 16 and we dated for 2 1/2 years. He was good looking but ultimately a real jerk. (Very long story!)

First time you cooked for someone:
I started cooking very young-I think I was about 7 when I started.

Five of your favorite movies
-With Honours
-City of Angels
-Waking Ned Devine
-The Hurricane
-Seven Years in Tibet

Most memorable moment:
I have had lots-it's hard to pick. I guess going on my own to New York City two summers ago to spend time with my dear friends Carlos & Anna. If not, my 30th Surprise/wedding vow renewal birthday.

Not tagging anyone, but if you want to play along, just comment and let me know! :)

Curious

So today I worked on a calendar round robin I am doing with friends from MMCA. I have Stacie Rife's calendar at the moment and let me just tell you it is the most beautiful thing. I just about cry when I look at it. I can only hope to someday own a book as beautiful as this.

Anyway, when I was finished the spreads I was working on, I went to the sign in page. Stacie asked that we each put a picture of ourselves on it. She had a picture of herself as a little girl. I decided to use a baby picture too. (See me? I'm 3 months old there!) Stacie had put a crown on her head. I don't think I'm the crown wearing type, but more a party hat kinda girl. (I love to laugh.) So I made myself a proper party hat. (See the pretty pink German glass glitter? Love it!) Then I added some stars 'cause hey, if you're gonna wear a party hat, ya gotta be a star! When all was said and done, I went to sign my name and note the month I worked on the calendar. That's when it struck me what I'd done. Here's little me, with my party hat on and I claimed March in Stacie's calendar. March is my birthday!

This got me to wondering how much of the art we make is conscious and how much subconscious? Truly, this little piece was totally subconscious! I was working intuitively. Once I realized what I had done, I added the 22, which is my birthday.

It's amazing to me how if you just give yourself permission to play, you create things you would never have anticipated. Art, like life is like that sometimes-it just shows up with a surprise gift in its hand.

Tattered Edge Yahoo Group

Just a friendly reminder to anyone who wants to stay "in the know" about where and when I will be offering classes to come join my low volume email list Tattered Edge. Not only will you get announcements about upcoming classes so you can register early and get a seat, but you can also view class samples in the photos section. (And who knows? Maybe you will win some goodies in the near future!!)

You can join either by clicking on the link above or the purple Tattered Edge Yahoo button on the sidebar to the right. Your membership will be approved-I have just set for approval to keep spammers out, because who need that?!

See you there!!

White Collaborative Book

So Joleen is hosting a collaborative book and the theme is WHITE. She invited me to play and I said yes. Afterwards, I realized that if I was doing work in white, I wouldn't be able to just photocopy it and embellish each page afterwards. THis meant I was going to have to do FIFTY pages entirely by hand. Then it became a challenge to figure out what to do.

When I think white, I think winter. When I think of winter, I think of tea and when I think of tea, I think of all the hours I spend working on art, sipping tea and somehow I believe that tea=inspirtation. To me tea is about relaxing, being warm and just feeding your spirit. I love tea and surely there must be a tea faerie! In my house my tea magically appears via my sweet husband who makes it for me. Tea also =love.

So, in keeping to the white theme, I made this tea faerie page. What you can't tell from the photo is that the faerie is 3D-she is sitting in a slot in the teacup and her wings are sprinkled with faerie dust. I attached her to the Chai tea tag so she won't get lost.

The funny thing about this page is that this was entirely different from what I had originally intended to do. I had a couple of ideas and they just didn't work because of the size of the page and then this evolved from them et voila! White was also a huge challenge for me because I NEVER work in white. It's far too stark for me and even when I quilt, I will use cream in place of white-it's warmer and softer. THis definately made me stretch far outside my comfort zone.

Time to pop these babies in the mail and breathe a sign of relief-the due date is not till April 1st, so I am waaaaay ahead of schedule!! Onto the next project on my to-do list!

Beautiful Sunday

So Joleen started a Flickr group called Beautiful Sunday and the idea is to post a picture of something beautiful every Sunday. While I don't know if I will remember to do it every Sunday, here is today's offering.

I took this photo at Pike Place Market, Seattle in the fall. I love going down the Washington State to shop every now and again and Pike Place is alot of fun. As you enter the Market, there is this covered breezeway and there are all kinds of vendors set up. Among them are the flower sellers who have these HUGE bouquets made up. Surprisingly, most of them are only $5 US!! Every time I go, I long to buy flowers, but I can't bring them back through the border, so I am resigned to just drinking them in and snapping a few photos. The colours are just amazing!

Thoughts on a Saturday Afternoon.

I am still working on trades for Artfest. (Only 25 more sleeps!!) I am thinking I would rather have some left over than find myself with not enough! I especially like this little book I made. (You'd have to know that I have an irreverant, wonky sense of humour to know why I find this funny.) There are more little books posted on my Flickr. (See the sidebar on the right.)

I was listening to Pandora while I was working today and one of the songs I heard had some interesting lyrics. It said "My soul is stirred, not shaken." Now I know that's a backwards referance to a famous James Bond line, but in the context of the song, it was about what stirs your soul, what inspires you. It got me to thinking about the things that stir my soul and I was able to come up with several things:

-Mt. Baker on a clear morning when the light in the sky is melon pink and the peak is white with snow.
-The moment in which I first stood at Ground Zero with my friends who lost their son there.
-Hearing a song with beautiful lyrics that speak to me.
-Heartfelt expressions of love.
-The briney smell of the ocean.
-The deafening silence of a prairie winter.
-A joy of reading a really good book.
-A fierce thunderstorm.
-The wind blowing through the trees and scattering leaves on a crisp autumn day.

So I ask you, what stirs your soul? I think it's an interesting thing to think about and perhaps the answers will find their way into my artwork eventually.

Yummy!

As some of you know, I am an Artist in Residence for Papier Valise. I have several reasons I love working with this company. For one thing, they have wonderful (dare I say decadent?!) provisions to work with. Everything from beautiful rhinestones, to velvet ribbons, to sequins in every shape and colour to my very favourite, German glass glitter. Then there are all the wonderful metal bits in silver, gold and brass, some of it delicate filagree and some of it old and vintage. Everything is just delicious.

I also love that any time I order, they are Johnny-on-the-spot about picking out the items I have chosen, carefully packaging them up and mailing them out to me. Their turn around time and customer service is the best I have ever experienced, their prices are fair and add to that that the owner, Janice is one of the most down to earth, genuinely NICE people I have ever met and you have the makings of a happy experience.

If you are interested in being the first to know when new product releases are happening, why not join the Papier Valise Yahoo group? It's a low volume email list that will keep you in the loop! (I hear membership will have its rewards-more on that to be announced to the group later this month!!)

Oh and why am I telling you all this? Well this morning, they just released 118 new products!! I have already made a list of all the goodies I *need*!! (Orange glass glitter and vintage porcelain number just to name a few!!) Have a peek and tell Janice I sent ya! :)

More of Yesterday's Magic!

Did you know that yesterday was Valentine's Day at my house? Well it was!! I was in a Valentine's swap with friends from MMCA and my partner Kathy's parcel took the scenic route to Canada!! We were both starting to think someone had made off with it or it had slipped into a black hole. We were much relieved when it finally made it way into my hands yesterday! Inside were all kinds of wonderful ephemera pieces and stickers and collage sheets. I was especially taken with the teeny spoon!







Kathy also made these special collages for me. I love them!! Thank you Kathy!! xo





As if that wasn't enough, I also got ATCs in the mail yesterday! A group of my friends does a monthly ATC swap by mail. February's theme was Zettiology and the cards from this swap were fantastic! The ladies really outdid themselves and I wish every day was a Zeti day-the images and colours are just so much FUN!!

*Again, sorry about the light-we are having another grey day here.

Now I know you are all going to think I am nuts, but the magic of the mail box continues-I got a parcel pick up notice this morning. I will have to go down later today and see what fun has arrived now. I have no idea what it could be! Stay Tuned!!